Garage sold a car for scrap instead of repairing fault

Unsuspecting Gail Mitchell took her Renault Laguna into the Bridge Mill garage at Waterside after it was recommended by a friend, a court heard. But when she returned to pick it up a couple of months later the garage had closed and the car had disappeared.

Two mechanics have admitted having a car scrapped that they had been asked to repair.

Unsuspecting Gail Mitchell took her Renault Laguna into the Bridge Mill garage at Waterside after it was recommended by a friend, a court heard.

She was told by the owner Darren Daltri, 41, and his son Jack, 18, that it needed a new engine.

But when she returned to pick it up a couple of months later the garage had closed and the car had disappeared.

It transpired the vehicle worth £1,500 had been sold to a scrap metal dealer for £180 and crushed.

Mr Daltri and his son, of Kirkstall Close, Macclesfield, both pleaded guilty to theft of the car at Macclesfield Magistrates Court.

Paul Davies, prosecuting, said Mrs Mitchell had first taken the car into the garage at the end of August.

Mrs Mitchell was at first told she had an oil leak and a problem with one of the springs.

She was then later told it needed a new engine, at a total cost of £800.

She told them there was no rush to find an engine, or carry out repairs, as she had use of another car.

Yet when after returning from holiday in October, she went to collect the car she was told by local traders the garage had closed. She made contact with one of the Daltris who broke the news that the car had been crushed.

Both Daltri and his son were arrested and told police in interview there had been a ‘breakdown in communication’ between them and Mrs Mitchell.

They said they thought she was unwilling or unable to pay for the repairs and that the car had been ‘dumped’ on them.

Jack said it was he who made the decision to have it scrapped after his dad told him they would have to close the garage.

He sold it to Maverick Metals, based on Turf Lane, who paid cash for it despite not seeing a V5 registration certificate, the court heard.

It was then sold on to another scrap dealer before being crushed.

Ruth Oakes, defending, said: "Mr Daltri senior ran into financial difficulty and they made repeated attempts to contact her to ask her to remove her car and pay for the work that had been done.

"The engine didn’t work and they had to push the vehicle out of the workshop every morning and as it had no tax, push it back in every evening.

"This was taking up to 30 to 40 minutes of their time.

"Eventually and regrettably, they made the decision to sell the car for scrap.

"They said they couldn’t think what else to do."

The pair will be sentenced at Crown Court after proceeds of crime proceedings were initiated against them.